Leadership Session 7: Active Listening Skills

Restating information in different words to reflect what the speaker said more concisely.

Asking the speaker to explain something if you don't quite understand.

Relaying back to the speaker how they feel/perceive things.

Paying close attention to the speaker, restating their message, and checking your understanding.

Different frameworks trying to explain what drives someone's actions.

Obstacles that prevent effective communication by hindering a listener's ability to understand the speaker.

A method for providing feedback (introduction, main point, conclusion).

A document to track behavior or performance to use when providing feedback.

Restating key ideas and feelings from a speaker to ensure understanding and connection between speaker and listener.

Active listening helps both the speaker and the listener clarify the most important aspect of the conversation. It boosts understanding and strengthens rapport.

Examples of summarizing include: ‘Let me summarize…’, ‘On the one hand…but on the other hand…’, or identifying important points in various ways.

Strategies for active listening include: listening more than talking, letting the speaker finish, asking open-ended questions, and remaining attentive and bias-free.

Avoid acting bored, interrupting, finishing sentences, jumping to conclusions, or getting argumentative. Don't mentally prepare responses, multitask, or shut out opposing views.

The key portion of active listening; to develop trust, we must demonstrate understanding of the emotional underpinnings of a conversation.

Understanding emotions is essential in active listening as it builds trust and deeper connections in a conversation.

A vast set of English words can express various emotions, which are crucial in active listening to grasp and respond to the emotional aspect of a conversation.

Job aspects like salary & working conditions; their absence leads to dissatisfaction but their presence doesn't boost motivation.

Intrinsic job factors such as recognition, responsibility, and advancement; these directly boost motivation.

A theory with five levels of human needs; fulfilling lower levels is key to reaching higher levels.

Basic needs for survival: food, water, shelter.

Security and protection from harm; emotional and physical.

Desire for social connections, affection, and belonging to groups.

Desire for self-respect and respect from others; feelings of accomplishment.

Reaching one's full potential; personal growth and fulfillment.

Explaining success or failure based on internal or external factors, stability, and controllability.

Explaining success or failure due to personal factors like ability, effort, or personality.

Explaining success or failure due to factors outside of the individual, such as luck, task difficulty, or others' actions.

Explaining success or failure based on factors that tend to stay the same over time.

Explaining success or failure based on factors that can change from situation to situation.

Explaining success or failure based on factors that can be influenced by the individual.

Explaining success or failure based on factors outside of the individual's control.

In active listening, focusing on understanding and acknowledging the speaker's emotions is paramount.

The strength or power of an emotion felt by an individual. Stronger emotions can influence our reactions and decisions.

Restating the speaker's key points in your own words to ensure understanding and demonstrate attentiveness.

Questions designed to encourage the speaker to elaborate and provide more information, promoting deeper conversation.

Personal beliefs or prejudices that can cloud your judgment and hinder your ability to truly understand the speaker's message.

Matching the speaker's emotional tone and pace to build rapport and create a sense of connection.

Using body language, facial expressions, and vocal tone to demonstrate engagement and understanding.

Behaviors or attitudes that hinder effective communication and prevent you from truly listening.

If you are the source of anger, you should not use pacing. You should do the opposite.

Giving advice, ordering, suggesting, or diagnosing the speaker's situation. Avoid doing this during active listening.

Making judgements about the speaker, whether positive or negative. This includes giving opinions, praising, condemning, or threatening.

Trying to reassure the speaker everything will be okay or changing the subject.

Commenting or interrupting the speaker while they are talking.

Words that can significantly influence the impact of a message, like "because" and "but."

The word "and" can replace the "but" and minimize canceling the previous statement's impact.

When giving feedback, provide only two points, not more.